Jim's Beer Kit

leaf for the boiler - with or without pellets. The leaves act as a filter for the pellets which otherwise would cause a slow run off at best unless you can get a good swirl on to send most of the pellet debris to the centre. pellets for the FV give better results but be aware of clogging up if you'r...

...but not neat Starsan, properly diluted Starsan. Or vodka, Brandy etc

I'm down that weekend and might well be able to make it to Truro for a meet if there's a going to be a gathering (and if I can get Mrs. F to drive)...

If you have to use an airlock, then fill it with vodka or brandy etc so it is harmless if it gets sucked in...

I'm not sure you should expect much glory from such a small mash size but I wouldn't know for sure so here's some thoughts based on my experiences. Did you manually recirc a few litres from the tun before using the HERMS? Unless it is running clear (ish), the solar pump is likely to block up and cau...

Unplanned, I once left a lager in a plastic FV in primary for 13weeks then bottled and left it for months.

It was amazing but not quite fizzy enough really. The Munich malt I used (50% I think) made a huge difference such that I now pretty much always add Munich to everything I brew.

Blimey, lot of flies about when you took that pic Sadfield...

Don't know about treacle (not tried it) but what I can say is that the brew I mentioned above was the best stout I've ever made. It was chewy and malty and had a lovely vanilla hint about it too. It all went in one weekend it was that good (a few of us had it). I remember adding the chocolate powder...

Use 150% of the malts you currently use (7.5kg) and 150% of your normal hops but keep your total liquor the same (you will need to increase the mash liquor though because of the extra malt). You will end up with the same amount of beer but it will be about 50% stronger. You might want to keep spargi...

Ouch. Sounds like a real balls ache that. A tip I learnt early on was always to mix the grain before using the grain. That ensures consistent consistency (lol) of grain/dust for every brew. I normally do this by pouring bits into a FV, stirring, bit more in, stirring etc. That might have save you a ...

I still needed to finish off the chamber at the back (on the hot side) to make it fully functional but struggled to find the time. Any spare days have been spent brewing. Here's a few pictures. Full rig http://i838.photobucket.com/albums/zz302/fegonator/Mobile%20Uploads/20140621_093331.jpg http://i8...

Time for another update. I've made good progress at last and here's how I got there... First the dreaded door to the fermenting chamber. Another cut of another full sheet. Not perfect but good enough. http://i838.photobucket.com/albums/zz302/fegonator/20140510_172432.jpg Then I added some padding on...

This might help...

viewtopic.php?f=60&t=65732

I've had two blow outs using plastic pins, one key stone and one chive. I put them both down to over-priming plus warm temperature. I now prime with just 35g of sugar after full primary fermentation.... btw, on the key stone blow out, I just threw 5 sugar cubes in and put a new key stone in, left it...

Fego, does your bottling machine cope with different height bottles? Does it automatically stop filling at the correct fill level? Many thanks Yes, its agnostic on bottle sizes and stops itself from over filling. If I were to always use the same bottles I could adjust it so that bottle hangs there ...